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George Kambosos Dropped the Ball, but Boxing in Australia is on the Rise
In November of last year, George Kambosos Jr overcame a 10th-round knockdown to upend unified lightweight champion Teofimo Lopez in one of the biggest upsets of 2021. With his gritty and ultimately triumphant effort, Kambosos became an overnight sensation in the Land Down Under, but the Sydneysider of Greek heritage proved to be a one-trick pony. In his first title defense on June 5 at Melbourneâs Marvel Stadium, Kambosos was outclassed by Devin Haney.
Australian boxing fans, however, still have plenty to cheer about. In fact, the sport in Australia is healthier now than it has been in quite some time.
Kambosos briefly stole the spotlight from TIM TSZYU (21-0, 15 KOs) whose next fight will come against undisputed 154-pound world champion Jermell Charlo. The camps of both fighters have agreed to terms. Yet to be decided is the date and venue.
Tszyu is the son of the great Kostya Tszyu, a first ballot Hall of Famer. Jermell Charlo (35-1-1, 19 KOs) is the twin brother of undefeated middleweight champion Jermall Charlo.
By and large, the greatest champions in boxing history have been lethal in rematches. Jermell Charlo erased the two blemishes on his record â a loss to Tony Harrison and a draw with Brian Castano â in grand style. He TKOed both when he caught up with them again.
If Tszyu-Charlo lands in the U.S. as expected, it will be the Aussieâs second engagement on U.S. soil. In March, at Minneapolis, he won a 12-round unanimous decision over former U.S. Olympian Terrell Gausha. Tszyu showed great fortitude in bouncing back from a first-round knockdown to take control of the fight, but he did expose some vulnerabilities. In early man-to-man betting, Charlo is a 5/2 favorite.
Jay Opetaia
Jay Opetaia challenges long-reigning cruiserweight champion Mairis Briedis at the Gold Coast Convention Center in Broadbeach, Queensland on July 2. Itâs a big jump in class for the Sydney southpaw. Briedis has lost only once in 29 fights and in that defeat back in January of 2018 he battled Olekandr Usyk on nearly even terms, losing a majority decision.
Opetaia, who is of Samoan and European Australian descent, is undefeated (21-0, 17 KOs). He has yet to defeat an opponent with a recognizable name outside the Antipodes, but neither has he been coddled. His last 10 opponents had winning records. At age 26, he is 11 years younger than Briedis and will have the crowd in his corner.
The Moloney Twins
The best twins in boxing aside from the Charlo brothers, Australiaâs Moloneys (pictured) assuaged the hurt of George Kambososâs poor showing with impressive victories in supporting bouts. Jason blasted out his opponent in the third round. Andrewâs opponent decided he had had enough and called it quits after only two frames.
The twins have identical 24-2 records although Andrew has had one more fight, a controversial no-decision in a match that he was winning with three-time foe Joshua Franco. Both are undefeated in non-title fights and, at age 31, it seems as if they havenât quite yet reached their peak.
Liam Paro and Brock Jarvis
Liam Paro (22-0, 17 KOs) and Brock Jarvis (20-0, 18 KOs) were seated on the dais today at a formal press conference in Brisbane. Seated between the two junior welterweights was promoter Eddie Hearn who was there to announce that Paro, 26, and Jarvis, 24, would headline Matchroomâs first-ever show in Australia. The details are still being hammered out but the event will happen sometime in September.
Paro went on the road in his last bout and got off the deck to win a split decision over Puerto Ricoâs Yomar Alamo in a battle of unbeatens at Tampa, Florida. A southpaw of Italian descent, he is currently ranked #1 at 140 pounds by the WBO and #3 by the IBF.
Brock Jarvis also had his most recent fight in the U.S. He overcame a very rough patch to score a fifth-round TKO over Mexicoâs Alejandro Frias Rodriguez on a show in Fresno, California. It was his first fight at 135 after starting his career as a bantamweight and he will move up another notch for Paro.
Jarvis is a protĂ©gĂ© of Jeff Fenech who is widely considered Australiaâs greatest native-born boxer. In fact, Jarvisâs grandmother was Fenechâs dietician and nutritionist during Jeffâs fighting days.
Demsey McKean
A six-foot-six southpaw with an MMA background, McKean is penciled in for the undercard on Hearnâs September show. It will be his third fight under the Matchroom umbrella.
McKean is undefeated (21-0, 13 KOs) but the jury is still out on him. His best win was a 10th-round stoppage of gatekeeper-turned-fringe-contender Jonnie Rice who gassed out and was stopped with seconds to go in the match.
McKean spent most of last year in England where he got excellent sparring as a member of Anthony Joshuaâs camp.
Justis Huni
Folks were very high on Justis Huniâs chances in the Tokyo Olympics and were greatly disappointed when Huni was forced to pull out with a hand injury. A bout with Covid subsequently stalled his pro career.
Huni returned to the ring earlier this week after a 12-month absence and defeated countryman Joseph Goodall. While Huni was expected to win, he wasnât expected to win as easily. Carrying 242 Âœ pounds on his six-foot-four frame, he won all 10 rounds in the eyes of one of the judges. The aforementioned Jeff Fenech, working as a TV commentator, described his performance as a masterclass.
The 23-year-old Huni, who is from Brisbane and regularly spars with reinvigorated Lucas Browne, is of Tongan and Samoan-Dutch descent. Undefeated as a pro (6-0, 4 KOs) he is seemingly on a collision course with Demsey McKean and if both are still unbeaten when they finally collide, it will be a huge event in Australia.
New Kids on the Block
Tim Tszyu had a very limited amateur background. Not so his younger brother NIKITA TSZYU, 24, who was a four-time Australian amateur champion.
Nikita turned his back on boxing to pursue a college degree in architecture and was away from the sport for five years. He made his pro debut in March and is currently 2-0 with both wins coming inside the distance.
Nikita is a junior middleweight like his brother but, unlike his brother, he is a southpaw. He reportedly packs a harder punch than Tim. Yet to be determined is whether he has the same dedication.
At the Tokyo Olympics, HARRY GARSIDE became Australiaâs first medalist in boxing in 33 years. Garside won bronze in the 139-pound class after losing to Cubaâs brilliant Andy Cruz in the semis. Cruz is widely regarded as the best pound-for-pound boxer in the amateur ranks.
Garside is 3-0 (2) at the pro level. His second pro fight, a 10-rounder, was billed for the Australian lightweight title. Outside the ring, Garside, a plumber by trade, is an interesting cat. An ally of the LGBTQ community, Garside allows that if he hadnât become infatuated with boxing, he may have pursued a career in ballet. His long-range goal is to participate in the 2032 Summer Olympics which will be held in Brisbane.
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Canelo vs Berlanga Battles the UFC: Hopefully No Repeat of the 2019 Fiasco
If one happens to be fan of both traditional boxing and MMA, then one has a choice to make this Saturday. Canelo Alvarez will be in action at the T-Mobile Arena in Las Vegas defending his lineal 168-pound world title against Edgar Berlanga and two miles away in a competing Pay-Per-View card, the first-ever sporting event will be staged inside The Sphere, a UFC card bearing the title Riyadh Season Noche 306.
This wonât be the first time that a boxing card featuring the red-headed Mexican superstar went head-to-head with a UFC event. On Nov. 2, 2019, Canelo Alvarez fought Sergey Kovalev at the T-Mobile and 2,500 miles away, MMA stars Nate Diaz and Jorge Masvidal locked horns at Madison Square Garden. Both cards were PPV. Alvarez vs Kovalev was live-streamed on DAZN; Diaz vs Masvidal on ESPN+.
We donât know which event generated the most profit, but the way things played out, this was a symbolic win for the UFC. On this night, the venerable sport of boxing and its adherents were reduced to a second-class citizen.
The fault lay with the nitwits at DAZN. They thought it prudent to postpone the start of Alvarez-Kovalev until the Diaz-Masdival fight was finished. What resulted was an interlude that dragged on for a good 90 minutes after Ryan Garcia knocked out Romero Duno in 98 seconds in the semi-wind-up. Then came the ring walks, the National Anthems (there were three), and the long-winded introduction of the combatants. When the bell finally sounded to signify the start of the bout, it was 10:18 inside the arena and 1:18 am for the bleary-eyed folks tuning in back in the Eastern Time Zone. The backlash was fierce.
The competing shows this coming Saturday coincide with Mexican Independence Day Weekend. One might assume that this will give the PBC promotion at the T-Mobile a leg up as Canelo Alvarez is a must-see attraction within the Mexican and Mexican-American communities. However, the UFC card has something going for it that T-Mobile lacks. The venue is itself an allurement. The newest addition to the Las Vegas skyline, The Sphere has the WOW factor. Even long-time Las Vegas locals, supposedly jaded by a surfeit of architectural wonders, are mesmerized by the constantly changing light show on the exterior of the big globe. Inside, visitors will find the worldâs highest resolution LED display.
Customizing the interior for UFC 306 was an expensive proposition. UFC honcho Dana White has pegged the cost at $20 million and concedes that without Saudi money it would not have been feasible. He says that Saturdayâs show will be âone-off,â not merely the first combat sports event at The Sphere, but also the last because it would be too expensive to replicate. If that be true, attendees are advised to keep their ticket stubs. Years from now, they might command a nice price in the sports memorabilia marketplace.
The T-Mobile has Canelo, but The Sphere has Alexa Grasso who, akin to Canelo, hails from Guadalajara. Ms. Grasso, 31, just may be the second-most-well-known fighter in Mexico. In addition to holding the UFC flyweight title, she is an analyst for the UFCâs Spanish-language broadcasts.
Grasso will be defending her belts against Russiaâs Valentina Shevshenko in the co-main. In the featured bout, bantamweight belt-holder Sean OâMalley will defend his title against Merab Dvalishvili.
The T-Mobile card on Prime Video comes with a suggested list price of $89.99 for U.S. buyers without a Prime Video account. That tab has been widely assailed as a rip-off. âItâs gouging fight fans, plain and simple,â says Kevin Iole who covered both boxing and MMA for Yahoo. (For the record, the UFC show on ESPN+ comes with a list price of $79.99, $10 cheaper if bundled with an ESPN+ subscription. The UFC folks are holding their breath that the event can be translated to the small screen without compromising the clarity of the picture. The logistics are daunting.)
The main bouts on the UFC card will be far more competitive based on the prevailing odds, but when it comes to combat sports, this reporter is a traditionalist. Agreed, that can be interpreted as an old fuddy-duddy stuck in his ways, but in my eyes boxing, a sport that rests on a far more arresting historic foundation, trumps the Johnny-come-lately that is the UFC.
Check back later this week as TSS West Coast Bureau Chief David A. Avila offers up a closer look at Alvarez vs Berlanga and some of the supporting bouts.
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Niyomtrong Proves a Bridge Too Far for Alex Winwood in Australia
Today in Perth, Australia, Alex Winwood stepped up in class in his fifth pro fight with the aim of becoming the fastest world title-holder in Australian boxing history. But Winwood (4-0, 2 KOs heading in) wasnât ready for WBA strawweight champion Thammanoon Niyomtrong, aka Knockout CP Freshmart, who by some accounts is the longest reigning champion in the sport.
Niyomtrong (25-0, 9 KOs) prevailed by a slim margin to retain his title. âAt least the right guy won,â said prominent Australian boxing writer Anthony Cocks who thought the scores (114-112, 114-112, 113-113) gave the hometown fighter all the best of it.
Winwood, who represented Australia in the Tokyo Olympics, trained for the match in Thailand (as do many foreign boxers in his weight class). He is trained by Angelo Hyder who also worked with Danny Green and the Moloney twins. Had he prevailed, he would have broken the record of Australian boxing icon Jeff Fenech who won a world title in his seventh pro fight. A member of the Noongar tribe, Winwood, 27, also hoped to etch on his name on the list of notable Australian aboriginal boxers alongside Dave Sands, Lionel Rose and the Mundines, Tony and Anthony, father and son.
What Winwood, 27, hoped to capitalize on was Niyomtrongâs theoretical ring rust. The Thai was making his first start since July 20 of 2022 when he won a comfortable decision over Wanheng Menayothin in one of the most ballyhooed domestic showdowns in Thai boxing history. But the Noongar needed more edges than that to overcome the Thai who won his first major title in his ninth pro fight with a hard-fought decision over Nicaraguaâs Carlos Buitrago who was 27-0-1 heading in.
A former Muai Thai champion, Niyomtrong/Freshmart turns 34 later this month, an advanced age for a boxer in the sportâs smallest weight class. Although he remains undefeated, he may have passed his prime. How good was he in his heyday? Prominent boxing historian Matt McGrain has written that he was the most accomplished strawweight in the world in the decade 2010-2019: âIt is not close, it is not debatable, there is no argument.â
Against the intrepid Winwood, Niyomtrong started slowly. In round seven, he cranked up the juice, putting the local fighter down hard with a left hook. He added another knockdown in round nine. The game Winwood stayed the course, but was well-beaten at the finish, no matter that the scorecards suggested otherwise, creating the impression of a very close fight.
P.S. â Because boxrec refused to name this a title fight, it fell under the radar screen until the result was made known. In case you hadnât noticed, boxrec is at loggerheads with the World Boxing Association and has decided to âde-certifyâ the oldest of the world sanctioning bodies. While this reporter would be happy to see the WBA disappear â it is clearly the most corrupt of the four major organizations â the view from here is that boxrec is being petty. Moreover, if this practice continues, it will be much harder for boxing historians of future generations to sort through the rubble.
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Avila Perspective, Chap. 295: Callum Walsh, Pechanga Casino Fights and More
Super welterweight contender Callum Walsh worked out for reporters and videographers at the Wild Card Gym in Hollywood, Calif. on Thursday,
The native of Ireland Walsh (11-0, 9 KOs) has a fight date against Polandâs Przemyslaw Runowski (22-2-1, 6 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 20 at the city of Dublin. Itâs a homecoming for the undefeated southpaw from Cork. UFC Fight Pass will stream the 360 Promotions card.
Mark down the date.
Walsh is the latest prodigy of promoter Tom Loeffler who has a history of developing European boxers in America and propelling them forward on the global boxing scene. Think Gennady âTriple Gâ Golovkin and you know what I mean.
Golovkin was a middleweight monster for years.
From Kevin Kelley to Oba Carr to Vitaly Klitschko to Serhii Bohachuk and many more in-between, the trail of elite boxers promoted by Loeffler continues to grow. Will Walsh be the newest success?
Add to the mix Dana White, the maestro of UFC, who is also involved with Walsh and you get a clearer picture of what the Irish lad brings to the table.
Walsh has speed, power and a glint of meanness that champions need to navigate the prizefighting world. He also has one of the best trainers in the world in Freddie Roach who needs no further introduction.
Perhaps the final measure of Walsh will be when heâs been tested with the most important challenge of all:
Can he take a punch from a big hitter?
Thatâs the final challenge
It always comes down to the chin. Itâs what separates the Golovkins from the rest of the pack. At the top of the food chain they all can hit, have incredible speed and skill, but the fighters with the rock hard chins are those that prevail.
So far, the chin test is the only examination remaining for Walsh.
âKingâ Callum Walsh is ready for his Irish homecoming and promises some fireworks for the Irish fans. This will be an entertaining show for the fans and we are excited to bring world class boxing back to the 3Arena in Dublin,â said Loeffler.
Pechanga Fights
MarvNation Promotions presents a battle between welterweight contenders Jose âChonâ Zepeda (37-5, 28 KOs) and Ivan Redkach (24-7-1, 19 KOs) on Friday, Sept. 6, at Pechanga Resort and Casino in Temecula. DAZN will stream the fight card.
Both have fought many of the best welterweights in the world and now face each other. It should be an interesting clash between the veterans.
Also on the card, featherweights Nathan Rodriguez (15-0) and Bryan Mercado (11-5-1) meet in an eight-round fight.
Doors open at 6:30 p.m. First bout at 7 p.m.
Monster Inoue
Once again Japanâs Naoya Inoue dispatched another super bantamweight contender with ease as TJ Doheny was unable to continue in the seventh round after battered by a combination on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Inoue continues to brush away whoever is placed in front of him like a glint of dust.
Is the âMonsterâ the best fighter pound-for-pound on the planet or is it Terence Crawford? Both are dynamic punchers with skill, speed, power and great chins.
Munguia in Big Bear
Super middleweight contender Jaime Munguia is two weeks away from his match with Erik Bazinyan at the Desert Diamond Arena in Glendale, Arizona. ESPN will show the Top Rank card.
“Erik Bazinyan is a good fighter. Heâs undefeated. He switches stances. We need to be careful with that. Heâs taller and has a longer reach than me. He has a good jab. He can punch well on the inside. Heâs a fighter who comes with all the desire to excel,” said Munguia.
Bazinyan has victories over Ronald Ellis and Alantez Fox.
In case you didnât know, Munguia moved over to Top Rank but still has ties with Golden Boy Promotions and Zanfer Promotions. Bazinyan is promoted by Eye of the Tiger.
This is the Tijuana fighterâs first match with Top Rank since losing to Saul âCaneloâ Alvarez last May in Las Vegas. He is back with trainer Erik Morales.
Callum Walsh photo credit: Lina Baker
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